Bright Lights, Big City
by readinginheels
Summary: A series of adventures (big and small) of Kurt and Blaine's first year in New York City. Also featuring, Furt and Anderbros.
1. Chapter 1

**(A/N): **This is just another idea I had floating around in my head since S3. Let me know what you think!

**Summary: **Just a few things to go over so there isn't any confusion. This story is AU and basically my take on S5 of Glee. Kurt and Rachel were **both** accepted to NYADA at the end of S3 (as it should have been) and moved to NYC with Finn at the end of summer. Blaine remained in Ohio and the break up did happen like canon (grrrrrr).

**Rating: M for some chapters, but not all. **

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Glee, or any of it's characters. Nor do I own the Anderbrothers, who belong to Neaf and Emily. Lets face it, they wrote our boys better than the Glee writers did and their blog kinda sparked this idea in my head. :)

* * *

**Bright Lights, Big City**

New Beginnings

"On my count lift it up ok? One, two, three."

Kurt and Blaine carefully lifted the large flat screen into the wall mount, holding it steady as Cooper quickly secured it into place. It had been a long day of heavy lifting and they were all happy to be almost done.

"And that takes care of that, guys," Cooper said, taking a few steps back to admire his handy work. He turned his head back to glance at the boys and smiled at the sight of them. Kurt stood behind his brother; his arms curled around Blaine's chest and his chin resting on his shoulder. Blaine sighed contently as he leaned back into the embrace, staring absently at the TV.

Cooper chuckled softly as he picked up the remainder of his tools from the floor. He couldn't believe how quickly time had flown by. It seemed like only yesterday he was comforting a hysterical Blaine after they had said their goodbyes Kurt & Finn at the airport – on their way to the bright lights of New York City. He remembered staying up all night with his little brother as he cried onto his shoulder, completely heartbroken.

It had been a difficult year for Blaine, he was certain of that.

"Alright guys, how about I make us some dinner?" Kurt asked, breaking the silence. He slowly untangled his arms from Blaine's chest and straightened out imaginary wrinkles from his shirt. "Blaine, how about you pick tonight?"

"Do we have everything for stuffed shells?" Blaine asked. He walked over to help Cooper break down the cardboard box the TV came in.

"I think so," Kurt said, making his way over to the kitchen cabinets. "Why don't you guys clean up and I'll start on dinner."

"I'll help you." Blaine volunteered, setting the cardboard next to the others by the door to be recycled, before walking over to the kitchen.

"It's okay, honey," Kurt called over his shoulder as he pulled out the giant shells and spices he would need. "I made you guys do most of the heavy lifting anyways. You guys get cleaned up and relax. This shouldn't take long."

"No. I – I really want to help," Blaine said quietly, leaning against the kitchen counter. "I've … um … been looking forward to it."

Kurt turned around just in time to catch Blaine biting his bottom lip nervously, avoiding eye contact. Kurt knew that look; since their reconciliation Blaine was always cautious when it came to moving forward with their relationship, making sure it was always Kurt who set pace. Kurt smiled and set down the parmesan cheese he pulled from the fridge. He walked over to Blaine and cupped his cheeks in his hands, gently forcing Blaine to look directly at him. He looked into his boyfriend's nervous hazel eyes and smiled warmly. "Ok. Take a quick shower and I'll get everything out. I promise I won't start without you."

Blaine's eyes lit up as he pulled Kurt into his arms. "Okay, I'll be a few minutes," he said, giving a Kurt a quick kiss on the lips before walking to their bedroom.

_Their bedroom. _

Kurt sighed dreamily. He couldn't believe that Blaine was finally here, living in New York City - with him.

"There you go, getting that dreamy look on your face," Cooper smirked as he put his tools away in the small storage closet by door.

Kurt promptly came out of his dreamy state and pointed his finger jokingly at Cooper. "Hush you," he grinned, "I've been waiting for this for months. I still can't believe he's finally here with us."

"I know." Cooper said, glancing over at the doorway where Blaine had disappeared to. "It's nice to see him happy again." His face fell when he turned back to Kurt and noticed the tears threatening to fall from Kurt's bright blue eyes.

"I'm ok. Happy tears! I promise!" Kurt explained holding up his hands. "It's just after everything that happened this past year… I didn't think …" He paused to wipe the tears from his eyes and compose himself. "But now, having him here with me … He's happy. I'm happy. It's so much better than I could have ever imagined, and he's only been here a week!"

Cooper laughed softly and handed him a tissue. "I know what you mean. I kept telling him if he could just keep it together for a year and focus on getting into NYU, he'd be here in no time. The two of you can make a new life here together. You guys really deserve it, Kurt." He said earnestly.

"I know," Kurt said softly, wiping his eyes with the tissue. All the dreams that he and Blaine talked about when they were in high school were finally coming true. The past year had been one of the toughest times in their lives. After moving to New York, Kurt found it difficult to balance his time between classes at NYADA and his part time job at Vogue. Though he was happy to be pursuing both of his dreams, his time with Blaine was limited.

With Kurt gone, Blaine joined every club at school while maintaining his duties as Glee Club's lead singer and Class President. He tried to keep himself busy to fill the empty void in his heart, but despite his best efforts, life without Kurt was more than what he could handle. Without his anchor he was lost.

Mistakes were made.

Hearts were broken.

Trust was lost.

It wasn't an easy reconciliation. In order to forgive each other, they had to forgive themselves first. And once they moved past the pain and guilt, they were able to slowly move forward. Rebuilding that broken trust from the ground up wasn't easy, but over time it was restored and their love grew stronger than it had ever been before.

New York would be their new beginning.

"Alright, I'm ready. Bathroom is yours Coop!" Blaine called walking back into the kitchen. Kurt's breath caught in his chest at the sight of his boyfriend. Blaine wore a pair of old sweat pants and a Dalton Academy shirt, his curls still damp from the shower. Seeing Blaine out of his usually dapper Dalton-boy appearance was quickly becoming Kurt's favorite thing in the world. He quickly walked up to Blaine, wrapping his arms around his boyfriend's neck before pressing his lips against his.

"Aaaaand that's my cue to leave," Cooper laughed, shaking his head. "I'll set the table when I get out." He jogged over to the bathroom on the other side of the apartment and closed the door behind him.

"Wha – What was that for?" Blaine asked, slightly breathless when Kurt pulled back from their kiss. He rested his hands on his boyfriend's hips, his thumbs rubbing slowly against a small patch of exposed skin from where Kurt's shirt rode up.

"I'm just happy to finally have you here with me. It still feels like I'm dreaming." Kurt whispered as he rubbed his hand up and down Blaine's biceps, and then intertwining their hands.

"I know what you mean." Blaine sighed, closing his eyes and leaning into the touch. "Part of me still feels like I have to get on a plane tomorrow and go back to Ohio."

"Never again," Kurt whispered. He turned his head to place a soft kiss to his boyfriend's temple.

"Never again," Blaine repeated, sighing happily.

"Come on," Kurt said giving his boyfriend a playful slap on the butt, "Let's get started on dinner. I've found Cooper gets extremely grumpy when he's hungry." Kurt laughed. He gave Blaine a quick kiss on the lips before pulling him back into the kitchen. "How about you get started on the shells and I'll work on the ricotta cheese mix?"

"Sounds good." Blaine replied with a smile.

Thirty minutes later the three men were settling down to enjoy their dinner. Kurt had brought in a few flowers from downstairs to create a nice center piece for the table and Blaine had plugged in his iPod to Broadway tunes, much to his brother's annoyance.

"Alright, let's eat!" Cooper said rubbing his hands together excitedly. "Kurt, could you please pass the salad?"

Kurt set down the glass of water he was drinking and handed the salad bowl to Cooper, who scooped a rather large serving onto his plate.

"Whoa! Coop! Since when did you eat salad?" Blaine asked, staring at Cooper in disbelief.

"Since Kurt decided to become a nagging housewife." Cooper teased as he served himself a helping of stuffed shells.

"Ha. Ha. Very funny, Cooper." Kurt said sarcastically, serving himself and Blaine a helping of salad while sending a glare towards Cooper. "When we moved in together, we decided we need to establish a few ground rules," he explained.

"Ground rules?" Blaine asked, setting his napkin on his lap.

"No singing after 9pm!" Cooper chirped.

"No jumping on furniture." Kurt said flatly.

"No insanely fancy décor in this apartment. This isn't Martha Stewart's house!" Copper said with his mouth full of salad.

"No bringing random girls up for a night of sexcapades." Kurt huffed.

Blaine set down his silverware to stare at Cooper pointedly. "What? I said I was sorry." Cooper laughed, feigning innocence.

"And, finally, we eat healthy." Kurt continued, talking a small bite of a cherry tomato. "Since I am the only one with culinary skills, he agreed to eat whatever I make for us." Blaine turned his attention from Kurt to stare at Cooper in complete shock. He was always so envious of his brother's ability to chow down his beloved fast food daily and still maintain his ripped body with minimal exercise.

"Don't give me that look," Cooper said, pointing his fork at Blaine. "I know what you're thinking, B. You're thinking I gave up fast food," he said leaning back in his chair. "But I promise you I didn't. Kurt agreed that we could still have it once or twice a week."

"Plus, I promised to make some his favorite meals so he wouldn't go out and waste money on greasy food," Kurt said has he drizzled Italian dressing on his salad.

"Wow…" Blaine said, shaking his head in disbelief. "I'm surprised this place hasn't turned into a battlefield. You two are complete opposites. I wasn't sure if this arrangement would even work."

"Well we did have a few close calls didn't we, Sweetcheeks?" Cooper grinned. Kurt started choking on his water as his face turned an interesting shade of red. Cooper howled with laughter as Blaine gently patted Kurt's back.

"Yes. Well, I think we managed to get everything under control just before you arrived, Blaine." Kurt said once he caught his breath.

"Alright, enough of this, I propose a toast," Cooper said, sitting upright and holding up his glass of ice water. "Here's to all of us finally getting out of Lima … and the many adventures we will have in New York City."

"To us!" Kurt and Blaine repeated, reaching up to clink their glasses together. They continued on with their meal, talking about all the things they wanted to explore in the city before the boys had to start school. This eventually led to Kurt talking about rushing for Broadway tickets and Cooper explaining, once again, that Broadway was dead.

And, as Blaine sat there in his seat, watching the two of them arguing playfully with one another, he couldn't help but think for the first time in his life – he was finally home.

That night, as they lay in their bed with the radio softy humming in the back ground, Kurt leaned in and placed a soft kiss on Blaine's forehead, whispering a heartfelt 'I love you.' He could feel his boyfriend smile sleepily against the crook of his neck. Blaine wrapped his arms around Kurt, pulling him closer so that their bodies were completely intertwined under the sheets.

Kurt was certain that he could lay like this for the rest of his life; one hand threading through his boyfriend thick curls, the other brushing gently against the light dust of hair on his bare chest. He kissed Blaine's temple, breathing in the light scent of soap and sweat that clung to him. Pulling back, Kurt watched in the warm candle light as Blaine closed his eyes at the gentle touch, his thick lashes fanning against his cheeks in his blissed out state.

"Thank you," Blaine murmured, nuzzling closer to Kurt to place his lips lazily against Kurt's neck.

"For what …?"

" … For never saying goodbye."

Kurt wrapped his arms tighter around Blaine, careful not to wake him as he watched him slip into a blissful sleep. "I'll never say goodbye, Blaine," he whispered. He lay there for a while longer, cradling his boyfriend in his arms until sleep overtook him, and all that was left was the gentle beating of two hearts.

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**(A/N): Special thanks to Danicadaisy for being an amazing beta once again, and to all of you who took the time to read. Thank you!**

**Tumblr: Readinginheels**


	2. Chapter 2

**(A/N): **Thank you to everyone who has added this story to their favorite & alert lists! I'm so glad there are people out there who like my story so far. Special thanks to lizziemarie0529 for being my first reviewer! Thanks so much for your sweet review :)

**Rating: M for some chapters, but not all.**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Glee, or any of its characters. Nor do I own the Anderbrothers, who belong to Neaf and Emily. Let's face it, they wrote our boys better than the Glee writers did and their blog kinda sparked this idea in my head.

* * *

**Bright Lights, Big City**

Spandex & Coffee

In the days that followed, Kurt felt like he was living on cloud nine. He woke up every morning with Blaine in his arms, spent the days walking around hand in hand Central Park, and watched reality TV every night after dinner. They rushed for theater tickets, spent time exploring the many museums and tagged along with Cooper to try out the various food trucks, much to Kurt's dismay.

Things had fallen into place rather quickly once they got settled into their apartment. Cooper was getting steady work as a paid extra on movies filming within the area, and on the weeknights he filled in as a bartender at a local restaurant. Kurt was on summer vacation from NYADA and that gave him more time to focus on his internship at Vogue. Thanks to his extensive knowledge of baubles and fashion, he was able to climb up the corporate ladder faster than the other interns he started with. And thanks to the free loot he scored on a daily basis, he almost had no need to shop on Fifth Avenue … almost. Meanwhile, Blaine was hard at work auditioning for different restaurants as a musical entertainer – and by the looks of it, many places were interested in hiring him.

Yes, things couldn't get any better.

Now they just needed to find the perfect coffee shop.

"Blaine, this is really important ok?" Kurt said shifting the bag of groceries in is arms as he made his way up the flight of stairs to the top floor. _When were they going fix that elevator?_

"Kurt it's just coffee," Blaine sighed following his boyfriend up the stairs.

Kurt froze just before he reached the last step to their floor and turned to face Blaine, who almost walked right into him. "This is _not _just about coffee, Blaine. This is about finding a place that we can escape to. I mean, we are official New Yorkers now. We need to have an official coffee place."

Blaine sighed once again as Kurt turned around and walked towards their apartment door. Since he had moved in, Kurt had made it their mission to scope out every single coffee shop near their place. At first Blaine was all for it, but he didn't realize exactly how daunting the task would really be, especially for Kurt. Every single shop they visited, Kurt had a problem with; too crowded, too grungy, too many students or tourists, bad coffee; the list went on and on. At this point, Blaine didn't think they were ever going to find a replacement for the Lima Bean. Heck, he'd settle for a Starbucks – which Kurt absolutely refused to walk into.

"Blaine, a little help please?" Kurt asked, bringing Blaine out of his thoughts.

Blaine quickly walked over to their door, fishing his keys out of his pocket. "Kurt, we have been to every coffee shop in the area you found on Google maps. I really don't see what you found wrong with _all_ of them. Most seemed okay to me." Kurt sighed in frustration as Blaine tried to jiggle the key into the lock. He was about to explain his reasons when he heard someone cough softy behind him. He and Blaine quickly turned around to face the door across from them.

A tall, slender woman around the age of fifty stood smiling before them. Her dark auburn hair was neatly pulled back into a low bun and her stunning smile reached her bright brown eyes. Her lithe frame towered over Kurt and Blaine and her posture was perfectly immaculate. Kurt wondered if she had been a model when she was younger.

"Hi, I'm Anna Winters. I'm your next door neighbor," she said, gracefully extending her hand in greeting.

Blaine immediately set down his bag of groceries to shake her hand. "Hello, I'm Blaine Anderson and this is my boyfriend Kurt Hummel," he said gesturing towards Kurt, who did the same. He quickly wondered if he did the right thing by introducing Kurt as his boyfriend and not his roommate. He didn't want to stir up any trouble, especially with his new neighbors of all people.

"Oh how lovely!" Anna said, clasping her hands together. "I'm so happy to finally meet you two. You both live here with Cooper, right?"

Blaine let out a tiny sigh of relief, but quickly composed himself. "Yes ma'am, Cooper is my older brother."

"He's such a great man. He's helped me out so many times when my husband, Edward, is out of town on business," she said smiling. "Listen, I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but I overheard you boys talking about finding a coffee shop in the area? I know a real nice one a few blocks from here, if you're interested."

"It's not the one on the corner of Fifth Avenue is it?" Kurt asked as Blaine resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Because that one seemed a bit touristy for our taste," he explained.

"No, this coffee shop is a few blocks down in the opposite direction. It's called the Royal Café and it's very popular with the locals in the area," Anna explained happily. "They have a wide variety of food and drinks, and the service is excellent. The baristas are so friendly – they're pretty much family to all the regulars that come in."

"Ohmygosh, Blaine! This place sounds perfect for us, even better than the one in Lima!" Kurt nearly squealed in delight.

Blaine laughed softly at the sight of his boyfriend. He loved the look on Kurt's face when he got excited, his bright blue eyes sparkling with excitement and his cute little dimple appearing on his cheek. It was absolutely adorable. "Thank you so much for the recommendation, Mrs. Winters," he said, gently putting his hand on Kurt's shoulder before his boyfriend could bounce around in his excitement. "You have no idea how long we've been looking for a good coffee place."

"It's our thing," Kurt explained, slightly breathless. "On our first date, we went out for coffee and saw a musical at a local theater."

"That's wonderful! I'm sure you will love the Royal Café, it's the best place on the Upper East Side," Anna said, winking her eye. Blaine wondered if there was something she wasn't telling him, but before he had the chance to inquire further she turned to leave. "I'll leave directions for you boys tonight. I'm late for tea with our landlady, Mrs. Johnston. See you soon!"

"Thanks again Mrs. Winters," Kurt called picking up his groceries. He practically skipped into the apartment as Blaine opened the door.

* * *

The next day, Kurt found himself walking to the coffee shop, hand in hand with Blaine. Cooper decided to tag along as well since he had the day off. He wasn't really a coffee person like Blaine, but wanted to come along to get more familiar with this side of town.

When they reached the coffee shop, Blaine squeezed his hand and gave him a quick kiss on the lips before pulling away and opening the door for them. Kurt smiled happily as he walked in; he had a really good feeling about this place.

He was greeted with the pleasant smell of coffee beans and baked goods. Marble tile covered the floors under the various tables for sitting patrons and photographs adorned the crème colored walls. It was very simple, yet chic.

A girl walked out from the kitchen wearing light pink heels, skinny jeans and a plain white shirt covered by a black apron. Walking up to the counter, she pulled her long wavy hair into a high bun on her head. "Hi, guys. Welcome to the Royal Café. What can I get for you?"

Blaine stepped to the counter and quickly ordered coffee for Kurt and himself. "Coop what would you like?" he asked, turning to his brother.

"Hello fair maiden," Cooper said to the barista in a horrible accent. He glanced up at the huge menu hanging from the ceiling before he turned his attention back to her. "What may I ask is your specialty here?" Kurt tried not to laugh at the way Blaine rolled his eyes at his brother.

The girl looked at Cooper mischievously before giggling and answering in her own English accent. "Peanut Butter Mochas, my good sir. People have been known to come far and wide for our one of a kind specialty."

Cooper grinned widely as Kurt and Blaine stared at the girl in shock. "Well then I'll have one of those, please." He bowed towards her, ignoring the huff coming from Blaine.

"Coming right up," the barista said tapping in their order into the cash register. They paid for their drinks and found a table next to one the giant windows looking out towards the street. Kurt looked around at the photographs hanging on the walls. He noticed in each one there was a woman – a ballerina, who bore a striking resemblance to the barista at the counter.

"Hey B, what do you think are the odds that the pretty girl getting our coffee is single?" Cooper asked, taking off his jacket and hanging it on the back of his chair.

Blaine rolled his eyes for the millionth time and scooted his chair closer to his brother. "Coop, you don't even know her name. Don't you think you should get that first before you start to flirt with her?" he whispered.

Cooper was about to reply when the barista came over with their coffee orders and two small paper cups. "Here you go guys. I had a little extra left over from the mocha and I thought you two might like to try it," she said smiling, handing Kurt and Blaine their drinks. "My name is Callie by the way, in case you need anything else."

"Thank you so much, Callie," Cooper replied, looking over to his brother and smirking. Callie gave Cooper a small smile before returning to the counter.

"Wow! This is really good." Blaine said after drinking his Peanut Butter Mocha. Kurt took a sip his as well and hummed in agreement. They continued to enjoy their drinks while Cooper informed them of his latest job as an usher at a local theater.

Kurt noticed, for the most part, the place was pretty quiet, with only a few other patrons enjoying their drinks nearby. A few people came in to grab a coffee and a muffin; most of which all knew Callie by name and stopped to chat with her as she prepared their orders.

By the time the boys had finished their drinks, a group of girls dressed in sweatshirts and leggings walked up to the counter asking for food and drinks. Kurt wondered if they had just finished a Pilates class. He had been meaning to find a good gym, especially since Blaine and Cooper insisted he come along as they explored every restaurant near their apartment.

It wasn't until another group of girls dressed in tutus and tights came in to chat with the rest of the group that Kurt realized they were all dancers – ballerinas to be exact.

A rather tall and buff young man came into the coffee shop wearing black spandex pants and a bulky leather jacket. As he made his way over the counter, he shrugged off this jacket, revealing an oversized white cotton shirt and catching the eyes of Kurt and Blaine.

This did not go unnoticed by Cooper. "Oh my god," he whispered, grinning wickedly, leaning back in his chair,"did you _both_ just check out that guy?"

"What?" Blaine squeaked, almost knocking over his empty coffee cup.

"No!" Kurt said hastily, his face turning an interesting shade of red. Both boys looked at each other guiltily as Cooper nearly fell out of his chair laughing.

* * *

"So what do you think?" Blaine asked as they walked back to their apartment.

"I think we have a winner," Kurt said, leaning into his boyfriend as he wrapped his arm around his shoulders and placed a soft kiss to his temple. He laughed softly as Blaine stopped them both to return the kiss.

Thank God!" Cooper exclaimed, waiting for them to catch up to him. "Had I known all you needed was eye candy to go with your coffee, I could have saved you two all that trouble of finding the perfect place. I swear B, you've drank enough coffee these last few weeks you've had it coming out your ears and your-"

"COOPER!"

* * *

**Related: **PB Mochas are seriously the best thing on the planet! You have to try one ... unless you're allergic. In which case, let's pretend this conversation didn't happen and the boys will now become obsessed with smoothies or something. Sorry!

**Special thanks to Danicadaisy for being my biggest fan & an amazing beta! And thanks to everyone who took the time to read!**

**Tumblr: readinginheels**


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